After having a good look at Call of Duty: World at War, we decided to hurl some questions at developer Treyarch's studio head, Mark Lamia. Find out what we learned from the guy who has worked on everything from CoD5 to Santa Fe Mysteries: The Elk Moon Murder, after the break!

Variables
a = Call of Duty: World at War for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 & PC
b = Call of Duty: World at War for Wii
c = Call of Duty: World at War for PlayStation 2

Proof
If a=b, and variations of c have been known to equal corresponding variations of b, then does a=c?

... Yes? Well, the problem is c doesn't exist. Call of Duty: World at War will be "next-gen only baby!" Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia confirmed with Joystiq, correcting an earlier report that the game would mark a return of the series on PS2; the first since Treyarch's Call of Duty 3. Despite claims that World at War is "not a different game on Wii" (with, um, a few exceptions) -- and therefore, wouldn't be all that different of a game on PS2 -- Activision and Treyarch have apparently retired PS2 from duty ... for good.

Check out our full interview with Treyarch right here.

Wondering what happened to the number "5" trailing Call of Duty and preceding World at War? Senior producer Noah Heller offered some insight into its absence, saying, "We're getting rid of the number in Call of Duty for a very specific reason: It's because we want you to know that when you're playing Call of Duty: World at War you're playing the best shooter, the best WW2 game ever. Likewise when you're playing Modern Warfare, likewise when you play any game that will be called Call of Duty."

Now, a handful of us have tried to parse that quote and, no matter which angle we take, it proves elusive. Is he saying that Modern Warfare didn't have a number in the title (because the game's box clearly says otherwise)? Is he saying that future Call of Duty installments, including whatever Infinity Ward is presumably working on, will also be sans number? Or perhaps, as rumored, Infinity Ward has renegotiated their relationship with the flagship title and any numbered sequels (all future sequels?) will be saved for them to develop?

We've sent our own inquiry into Activision for some clarification. We'll let you know what it throws back.

Call of Duty: World at War began life right after Call of Duty 3, before Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released. So, following this logic, "there was no modern warfare" when World at War was conceived, Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia told Joystiq, responding to skeptics who fear that the series' return to World War II will be a return to mediocrity. In fact, Call of Duty's "B Team" alternate developer doesn't consider its next entry a rehash at all. "We don't really look at it like we're going back to World War II," said Lamia. "For [Treyarch], it's totally new."

Lamia pointed to World at War's two-year development cycle as a key factor; a full 12 months more than the team had to complete Call of Duty 3, which, while by no means a commercial or critical failure, stands as a definitive low point for the franchise. "When you got one year, you do what you know, and get it done well -- don't mess around. When you got two years, you have a chance to introduce new gameplay, new elements."

Check out our full interview with Treyarch right here.

Treyarch has ambitious plans for Call of Duty: World at War, namely in making sure that the Wii version is "not a different game," according to what Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia told Joystiq. "We have dedicated engineers, artists, and designers associated to the Wii platform. So we have a ton of resources, stable platform to start with while we're making that thing -- but it will be the exact experience except for the changes we need to make for the controls and everything else."

Everything else, eh? Aside from Waggletech® and Overpriced Plastic Shell® integration (yes, Zapper support confirmed), expect the Wii version of World at War to feature some significant scaling back in the graphics department, and co-op and online multiplayer modes. So, same game? Or just the same name?

Check out our full interview with Treyarch right here.

Treyarch, the development team behind Spider-Man 3 and Call of Duty 3, recently put up a job listing for a Call of Duty level designer, presumably for the fifth game in the series (which Treyarch is reportedly working on). However, a bit of text in the listing may reveal the direction which Treyarch is taking Call of Duty 5 -- and from the looks of things, that direction is backwards.

The listing says that applicants would be well-served by being "a fan of World War II shooters," causing some to believe that the game will take place during the WWII era. We've seen less logical rumors come through the mill, but we still can't help but scoff at this gossip. Who would want to play a game based on WWII? What's a war game without AC-130 gunships and guided anti-tank missiles? We'll tell you - it's boring. We'll take futuristic weaponry over rich cultural heritage any day of the week.

[Via Voodoo Extreme]

Activision's biggest pre-merger franchises are all (GASP!) getting sequel treatment. In a fact sheet concerning the Activision Blizzard deal (PDF file), the publisher lists Guitar Hero 4, Call of Duty 5, a new Tony Hawk title (which would be its 11th iteration), a James Bond game and a racing title with the recently-acquired Bizarre Creations, as well as licensed titles with Dreamworks and Marvel.

None of these sequels come as a surprise, as they are all critical and commercial successes, but this is the first official confirmation of their existence. According to Activision Blizzard's earlier conference call, 50% of Activision's revenues are derived from franchises it owns outright, including Guitar Hero and Call of Duty. It should be noted that as well that all three franchises also have competition from rival Electronic Arts in the form of Rock Band, Medal of Honor and Skate. No word on project release dates for any of the sequels.

Read - Fact sheet [Warning: PDF file]